The Life of the Troublemaker's Trio
by weasleytwinfever
Summary: Aisling is an extraordinary witch who is trying to make her time at Hogwarts actually count for something. Her time in school is full of adventure but with friends like Fred and George Weasley, it is expected and she wouldn't have it any other way, but what happens when she begins to fall for one of them? Will her family secrets be revealed? OC/Fred or OC/George *REWRITTEN*
1. Chapter 1

A shadowed figure stepped out from the darkened treeline onto the messy lawn of The Burrow, glancing both ways before setting across the dew-covered grass, careful not to trip over any of the stray chickens that happened to be pecking about. It swept up onto the porch, drawing a wand and pointing it silently at the door handle before slipping inside.

Once inside it pushed back its hood to reveal a pretty, red-headed, teenaged girl with bright blue eyes and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. She glanced around the kitchen, setting down her trunk and cat carrier before smiling lightly. Finally, it felt like she was home. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the warmth of the hearth and the delicious smells that floated around her.

Upon opening her eyes she was greeted with the ends of four wands, each directed towards her throat. Her hand twitched towards her own wand before she realized who exactly it was that was threatening her. "Mr. Weasley, Charlie, Bill, Mad-eye. It's nice to see you too." She said with a half-smile.

"Cut the chat, give the information." Mad-eye growled and the girl rolled her eyes playfully.

"Aisling Whelan, I like long walks on the beach and blokes who know how to handle their-" She was cut off by Mad-eye once more. "Stop fooling around or I won't hesitate to curse off that pretty nose of yours."

The girl, Aisling, let out a heavy sigh and spoke once more. "Very well, I have a black belt in karate, one time while staying at your place I tripped down an entire flight of stairs, and my entire family is named for the Roman Gods because we are descendants of them. Happy now?" She gave him an impatient look while he nodded, lowering his wand.

"It's good to see you again, Aisling." Mr. Weasley said, stepping forward to engulf the smaller girl into a tight hug. Aisling looked him over once she was released, taking note of the bags under his eyes.

"How are things at the Ministry, Mr. Weasley?" She asked, giving him a small kind smile.

"As well as they ever are." He replied with a sigh. "But busier than most times with the World Cup going on, but nothing to worry about. Now I suppose you want to see the boys." He stated, abruptly turning to yell up the narrow flight of stairs. "FRED, GEORGE, RON, PERCY, GINNY, HERMIONE! GET DOWN HERE, PLEASE."

It was quiet for a moment and Mad-eye took advantage of that, moving towards the door with nothing more than a "I'll see you all soon enough," and leaving. Aisling gave him a small wave as movement began overhead.

Charlie suddenly came over to her and pulled her into a warm hug. "Thought I'd get my greeting in while I could." He said, smiling down at her. She had always liked Charlie. He was fun and easy enough to get along with, plus his love of animals didn't hurt anything. Even now his handsome smile gave her a small feeling of the large crush she harbored for him when she was younger, something that Fred and George never ceased to tease her about.

The noise upstairs grew and footsteps were heard on the stairs, prompting Bill to approach her and give her his own tight hug and words of greeting.

"Ash!" Two voices boomed in unison just before two sets of arms yanked the girl from Bill's grasp and up into a bone-crushing hug. She wheezed out a couple of breaths as the rest of the Weasley family came bounding down the staircase followed by Hermione Granger, a small bushy-haired girl that Aisling had spoken to only once or twice, but as she understood it, the girl was a good friend to Ron as well as Ginny.

Aisling looked around at the sea of red heads and couldn't help but smile like crazy. She loved this family. They were noisy and hectic but they felt like home to her.

She kissed each twin on the cheek before running and embracing Ginny while they looked on dejectedly. After hugging Ginny and Mrs. Weasley then shaking Percy's hand (a greeting that felt just too formal for someone who she had seen eat mud pies as a child) everything finally began to settle down. Luckily for Aisling it was edginging towards sunrise and Mrs. Weasley automatically began to whip up breakfast.

"Oh lighten up, you two." Aisling teased when she spotted the twins standing near the stairs whispering to one another. She looped her arms through theirs and exited the kitchen, flicking her wand lazily to cause her trunk to float along behind them.

"Alright, down to business then. We have only two weeks to come up with a product to present to Hogwarts as 6th years." She said, climbing the stairs and heading into the boy's bedroom, her trunk landing heavily at the foot of the temporary third bed in Ginny's small room across the way.

"There are bigger things than that, Ash." George replied mischievously.

"It's some of our best work if I do say so myself." Fred added with a smirk.

"You always say that." Aisling reminded him and he looked down at her, rolling his eyes lightly

"And have we ever disappointed?" He countered.

"Well...no." She replied warily.

George looked at her expression and let out a snort of laughter, causing Aisling to glare in his direction.

"Well, what are these plans of yours?" She asked, prompting the two to share a look before Fred moved to close the bedroom door and George crouched to pull up a few boards of the floor under his bed.

"What are you...?" She trailed off at the sight of what George pulled out. A bag filled with...sweets?

"_Candy_ is your plan?" She snorted. "Are we a candy shop now?" The twins rolled their eyes at her question.

"Ye of so little faith, Aisling." George said, opening the bag of candy and offering her a piece. Suddenly, Aisling was suspicious. She looked between the two of them, raising an eyebrow and taking a step back.

"Nope. There's more to these sweets than simply sugar, isn't there?" She asked and the twins smiled.

"Way more." Fred stated, sitting down on the end of his bed. "Tomorrow we're going with Da to try and get Harry!" He exclaimed.

"Harry Potter?" Aisling clarified.

"Yes, Harry Potter, but that's not the important part. Apparently, his family is a piece, so we're planning to put some of our new product into action." George told her with a grin.

"_Excellent_." Aisling drawled, mirroring his smile as George sat across from his brother on his own bed. "Now sit and will explain just how these came about."

"That's brilliant!" Aisling said, laughing lightly as she leaned back against the headboard of George's bed. "Bloody brilliant! But now the question is, which are you going to use on the git?" She asked.

The boys looked at one another before shrugging and offering the list to her. "You pick one, Ash." Fred suggested.

Her eyes scanned the list; F_ainting Fancies, Fever Fudge, Nosebleed Nougat, Puking Pastilles..._ "This one." She said suddenly, pointing at the list.

"Ton-tongue Toffee? Good choice." George said with an approving nod.

"Well of course it is. What did you expect?" Aisling asked with a joking tone of superiority.

George laughed lightly along with Fred at her tone, before growing quiet. He bit his lip and looked at the girl deciding whether or not to ask the question that was on his and his brother's minds. "Uh, so...Ash. How are you and the snake- I mean _Zabini_?" He asked curiously, making a face at the fact he actually had to say the Slytherin's name.

She drooped at his words, her eyes finding the ground while she took a few deep breaths before straightening up and letting out a growl of anger. She plopped back onto Fred's bed, hands going to her face.

"Whoa, now. What happened?" Fred asked worriedly, going over to sit on the side of Aisling that George didn't already occupy.

"Oh, the usual. He went on a vacation to Spain while I visited Grandmum in Ireland. I ate stew and danced to music, he drank and shagged some random witch." She snapped, her voice becoming a little stuffy though she hoped that the fact her hands had muffled her voice covered it.

"WHAT?" The twins roared together.

"He cheated on you?" Fred asked angrily, while Aisling nodded along, her hands still over her face.

"I'll kill him." George hissed through his teeth causing Aisling to sit up and glare at them.

"No, guys! Stop. He's not even worth a second thought." Ash replied, looking away from her best friends. The twins looked at her with concern before glancing at one another, both wondering the same thing.

"But, I mean..._you_ didn't shag him, did you?" George asked, his ears turning bright red.

Aisling looked up at the boy with wide eyes before bursting into laughter. "What? No! He wishes." She gasped out. "Never! I'm not desperate!"

Fred let out a breath of relief while George kept his eyes on the ground, his entire face matching his hair now.

"Honestly, you two! I thought we knew each other!"

She rolled her eyes at the two of them after catching her breath from laughing as Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded from downstairs. "Time for dinner!" She called.

The trio stood and made their way out of the room, Aisling attempting to shove past Fred and failing miserably. "Why are you in such a rush?" He asked, blocking her path to the bottom.

"There's food down there, Fred." She deadpanned.

The boy snorted but gave in, lifting his arm to allow Aisling to run past him and onto the bottom floor of the house.

Soon after the three of them had sat down, Fred to Aisling's left and George to her right, the rest of the household began to file in and take their places at the long table. The dining room was noisy as everyone began making their plates and getting their drinks. Aisling watched in amusement as Bill and Charlie looked like they were about to duel over the last biscuit just before Mrs. Weasley sat down more, handing one to Charlie as Bill grabbed the other. "Thanks, mum!" They chorused, causing her to smile.

As everyone settled and began to eat many conversations floated around her.

"No, you don't understand, Ronald. It's the thickness of the cauldron that makes a difference."

"I get it. I just don't care."

"They lost 390 to 10, mate. It was just embarrassing."

"There's always the next one, Charlie."

"Got everything all packed yet, Ginevera?"

"Yes, mum."

Aisling allowed herself to get lost in the noise around her until she caught the eyes of Mr. Weasley. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?" She questioned.

Arthur cleared his throat and asked curiously, "Aisling, may I ask where your sister is?"

"Oh, she's staying with the Malfoy's at the moment. Aunt Jupiter took her over there just two days ago. They invited her to accompany them to the World Cup since she is with Draco." She replied with a shrug, taking a drink from her pumpkin juice. She looked around to see the table had fallen quiet. She didn't understand why they were giving her these looks. They knew how Asafia was, she was a Slytherin for Merlin's sake!

Surprisingly enough due to the fact they were twins, the two looked nothing alike. Fraternal twins, the muggle doctors called them while their family knew it was something entirely different.

Asafia was around 5'3" with coffee-colored skin, brown hair that curled beautifully down to her waist, and warm mocha-colored eyes. Asafia had always been perceived as the darker twin. She had an affinity for the Dark Arts, though that wasn't spoken about outside of their family, and had thing for bad boys in Aisling's opinion. Not to mention she was a Slytherin. Oddly enough, Asafia was always the calmer twin of the two. She thought before acting, never hesitated to help someone, and was usually a hell of a lot friendlier than her sister, but in the end she was associated with darkness which caused her to appear a bit off to some.

George looked up upon hearing Aisling and his father's conversation. "You're letting your sister stay with the Malfoy's for the last stretch of summer?" He asked with thinly veiled disgust.

"I'm not letting her do anything, George. She's her own person." She replied, taking a bite of eggs.

"Now, I agree that he is a slimy git, but Asafia does seem to like him." Ginny butted in, giving her two cents with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That she does, and honestly he's not all that bad after you get past the smirk and bloodlines." Aisling added, weakly defending her sister's choice in interest. She heard a few snorts around the table and notice Hermione roll her eyes and sighed. There was no convincing anyone at this breakfast it seemed.

"Forge, we've lost her." George said while shaking his head slowly, dramatically feigning sorrow at her 'condition'.

"Oh, bugger off." Aisling snapped, chucking a piece of toast at him.


	2. Chapter 2

It felt as if Aisling had barely settled into bed when she was being shaken awake by Mrs. Weasley.

"Come on, time for breakfast. No laying about, there's a lot to get done before you all go to fetch Harry." She said before giving Aisling a kind smile and pushing her hair back from her face. "I really am glad you're back with us, dear." She added warmly, patting her cheek then she was off into the other two rooms.

Groggily Aisling sat up to see Ginny blinking sleep from her eyes as Hermione swung her legs over the side of her own bed. Groans sounded from a nearby room and Aisling laughed lightly, recognizing the voices of Ron, Fred, and George as they grumbled about.

Soon enough, everyone was dressed and seated at the kitchen table except for Mr. Weasley. Aisling looked around for him, wondering if he simply sat somewhere else but then Bill caught her eye. "He went to the Ministry." He informed her. "He's calling in a favor from a friend in Transportations to get Harry's house hooked up to the Floo Network for this afternoon."

Aisling nodded in response before settling back into seat and finishing her breakfast just before Mrs. Weasley re-entered the room.

"Alright, alright. Everyone fed? Good. Now, Fred and George I'll need you two to clean out the broomshed." She listed off ignoring the simultaneous groans from the boys. "Bill and Charlie, go into town and fetch us a few things." She continued, offering the older boys a piece of parchment. "Ron, chicken coop. Ginny and Hermione, be dears and hang out the laundry..." She trailed off, looking at Aisling she realized she had forgotten to add her into her list of chores. She stood quiet for a moment until the twins began to offer to take her along with them before Bill cut them off. "She can come into town with us, Mum. Ash is loads better with muggle money than we are." He said, ignoring the identical glares being shot at him.

"Very well. Do you mind Aisling?" She asked, turning to the red-haired girl with a worried look.

"Not at all, Mrs. Weasley. I'd love to see the town again." She smiled widely before grabbing her over-the-shoulder bag from its place on the table and joining Bill and Charlie by the door.

"Later, Fred. Bye, George!" She called over her shoulder as she left through the back door with the two older boys.

"Now, what's on that list?" She asked them, reaching for the piece of parchment as they walked. Bill handed her the sheet and she scanned over it quickly. "Easy enough. You two go and grab the stuff for the trip and I'll get the groceries." She began but paused when she saw Charlie shaking his head.

"No, sorry. We're staying with you."

"Yeah, Ash. I don't want you getting lost then us getting blamed." Bill added teasingly.

Aisling rolled her eyes at the pair of them. "I would not get _lost_, but fine. Have it your way." She replied, turning up her nose at them as they entered the small town.

Immediately, Aisling smiled at the sight of the older building and random muggles going about their business as usual. She loved muggle towns. They were always so interesting with their random contraptions in the store windows, as well as their odd paper money being exchanged. She abruptly forgot her irritation at her two companions and instead focused at the task at hand.

"First, the supplies for tomorrow then the groceries." She told the two who nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Not much later they were in the grocery shop, strolling down the aisles and grabbing what they needed for the final week before school. Aisling paused at the bread tilting her head slightly, trying to decide exactly which brand Mrs. Weasley usually used.<p>

"Need any help?" A voice sounded from behind her.

She whipped around to see a taller boy with raven hair and dark brown eyes watching her curiously.

"Oh, no. I was just trying to figure out which brand my friend's mum usually buys. I'm shopping for her, you see." She explained herself, giving him a kind smile.

"Well, I don't know much about her preferences but this here.." He said, reaching across Aisling to pick up a bag. "Is the kind my family gets." He smiled crookedly and Aisling found a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Well, thank you. I'm glad to have your exper-" She was cut off by a certain redhead taking the loaf of bread from her hand and turning to face the new boy talking to Aisling.

"Yes, thank you for your advice on bread. You're a wealth of knowledge, now if you could refrain from flirting with her for a moment longer and get lost, that would be splendid." Charlie said flatly, looking at the boy with irritation until Bill walked up holding a carton of milk and looking confused.

"Stop that, Char." Aisling said with a sigh, swatting her friend's arm before turning to the boy. "Thank you for the help really. My brother is just protective." She covered smoothly. "Maybe I'll see you around, yeah?" She added before dragging the two boys away.

"Honestly, I can't take you two anywhere." She huffed and Bill held a hand to his heart in indignation.

"I didn't even do anything."

_"Brother?"_ Charlie added curiously.

"Yeah, yeah." Aisling dismissed him, heading to the cash registers.

* * *

><p>Once back at the Burrow, Bill and Charlie put the groceries away with a wave of their wands as Aisling sat next to the now present Mr. Weasley at the table.<p>

"Everything ready to fetch Harry?" She asked him.

"Yes, everything is all set. Now we just have to wait for the boys to finish up their chores. Fred and George are upstairs changing and Ron is just about done." He informed her.

Aisling nodded in response before looking to the stairs at the sound of someone descending them. Soon enough the twins appeared with mischievous smiles in place.

"Hey, Ash. Have fun in town?" Fred asked as he sat down beside her.

"No, she did not." Charlie called from the kitchen causing her to roll her eyes.

"Don't listen to him. He's a git." She told the twins simply and heard Charlie's laughter in reply. She shook her head at his antics and returned her attention to the twins.

"Are we all set?" She murmured to them as Ron entered the room, a few feathers sticking haphazardly from his hair.

"That we are." George replied before standing and plucking a few of the feathers from Ron.

"I think you're molting." He said simply.

"Alright, boys...and Aisling. Let's get to it." Mr. Weasley said then stood and headed to the fireplace. He picked up the small pot of green powder from the mantle and turned to the four children. "Remember to speak clearly. It's Number 4, Privet Drive." He reminded them before handing the pot to Fred. He stepped inside the hearth and stood still for a moment before throwing down his handful of powder and yelling their destination. The fire flared up green for a moment and then he was gone.

Next, Fred stepped into the flames and repeated the actions of his father then after him George went as well. Finally, it was Aisling's turn. She took a breath and a handful of powder from the pot in Ron's hand and stepped into the flames that licked at her ankles. "Number 4, Privet Drive!" She exclaimed and was spun quickly around shooting up through the chimney, or so it seemed and passed multiple fireplaces before landing in a dark space.

"_Ow_! Blimey, what the hell is going on?" She asked in shock, pushing against the sharp elbow that was digging into her ribs.

"Sorry, Ash. We're stuck." She heard Fred's voice from a few inches above her.

"Oh really? Are we? I couldn't have guessed?" She sneered.

George interrupted the two and spoke to Mr. Weasley. "Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad- Maybe he'll let us out-" He suggested and all three of the men started pounding on the boards blocking their exit.

"Harry? Can you hear us?" Mr. Weasley called.

"Harry? You there, mate?" The twins chorused. Aisling simply huffed, trying to re-situate herself so she wasn't pressed so tightly against Fred's form.

Suddenly, they heard a mumbled voice from the other side and Mr. Weasley ordered everyone to be quiet.

"Mr. Weasley, it's Harry...the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there." Harry's voice sounded from the other side of the boards.

"Damn!" Mr. Weasley responded. "What on Earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?" He asked.

"They've got an electric fire." Harry's voice explained.

Aisling was not amused with this conversation. She was hot, it was cramped, and quite frankly fireplaces were not clean places. She wiggled for more room until she felt Fred's hands on her shoulders, holding her in place.

"Quit doing that, yeah?" He said quietly, not moving his hands from her shoulders.

Aisling was confused for only a moment then she felt her face grow hot. She immediately stood stark still, pressing herself against the bricks of the hearth.

"Sorry." She muttered and Fred simply chuckled in response.

It seemed that Harry and Mr. Weasley were discussing the electronic aspect of the muggle's fire when Aisling was suddenly smushed tighter against Fred. She felt him stumble back due to the force and heard Mr. Weasley call out in pain.

"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?" Ron's voice sounded from behind Aisling.

"Oh no, Ron." Fred drawled out sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up." Aisling rolled her eyes at the two and focused on what Mr. Weasley was saying as George chimed in from in front of Fred.

"Stand back, Harry." Mr. Weasley said and Aisling heard a loud voice protest from the other side, but it was too late. Mr. Weasley had blasted away the boards leaving the fireplace open and the inhabitants of it stumbling out.

Aisling looked up and spotted a large man that resembled an overweight walrus and a thin, frail looking woman standing in front of them. What a contrast.

Mr. Weasley attempted to greet the pair of them but was so rudely miffed. Aisling felt her brow furrowed as she looked at the two, not enjoying their blatant rudeness. She went to introduce herself as well but caught a look from Harry and promptly closed her mouth. It seemed as if he didn't think their meeting would go well.

Mr. Weasley turned to Harry with a kind smile. "Hello, Harry! Got your trunk ready?" He asked.

"It's upstairs." Harry responded and Fred jumped on the opportunity.

"We'll go get it!" He offered, sending a wink to Harry before he left the room with Aisling and George trailing along behind him.

They headed towards the stairs and up onto the second floor where they peered into each room, attempting to catch a glimpse of Harry's git cousin.

"Damn, he must have been downstairs somewhere." Aisling said with a frown.

"Must have." Fred agreed then shrugged. "Oh, well. We'll get him, no worries. George help me get that trunk. Ash, grab Hedwig's cage, would you?" He requested and the other two went at it.

Aisling lifted the cage from it's place near Harry's window and headed back down the stairs behind the two redheads.

Upon re-entering the living room the trio spotted a large figure attempting to hide behind Harry's large uncle, but to Aisling's surprise, this boy was even bigger than his father. Her jaw dropped slightly then she noticed the glare the scrawny woman was giving her and promptly shut it, attempting to mask an amused smile as the twins eyed their soon-to-be victim.

"Ah, right." Mr. Weasley spoke, breaking the tension...or increasing it. "Better get cracking then."

He relit the fire in the fireplace and ushered Fred into it.

"Coming-" Fred began before stumbling, his hands fumbling with his pockets. "Oh no- hang on-" He said as he attempted to pick up the sweets that had 'accidentally' fallen from his pockets, rolling across the floor in all directions. He crawled around for a moment, picking them up before straightening out and smiling widely at the Dursleys. He gave them a happy wave then stepped into the fireplace, taking a pinch of the floo powder is father offered and yelling, "The Burrow."

Aisling heard gasps of surprise from the muggles as Fred disappeared, but Mr. Weasley paid no mind and sent George on with the trunk and then Aisling with the cage. Aisling gave the Dursleys a kind smile and wave, even wishing them a well rest of their summer, to which they all had no response, before stepping into the fire and calling out, "The Burrow!"

She stepped out of the hearth and rushed over to the twins, grinning madly. "How did it go?" She asked and George turned to her with a smile.

"I saw him pick it up so now we wait."

They looked up as Ron exited the fireplace, but he didn't say anything or look flustered so she figured he didn't see anything. They stood quietly as Charlie and Bill approached the hearth, now interested in what had the trio's attention.

Finally Harry stepped out of the flame, eyes wide with an amused smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

"Did he eat it?" Fred asked excitedly, rushing over to Harry with George and Aisling right on his heels.

"Yeah." Harry replied, still looking a bit dazed from traveling via Floo. "What was that?"

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," Fred said happily, pulling a piece from his pocket and showing it to Harry. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them out on all summer..."

"Thank, Merlin I didn't take the one you offered me." Aisling added with a playful glare at her favorite redheads.

Everyone had a brief laugh at Aisling and Dudley's expense and Aisling laughed along good-naturedly. She knew the twins too well, there would've been no chance of her taking it anyways.

Aisling watched quietly as Harry became acquainted with both Charlie and Bill. She barely contained a giggle at Harry eyeing both Bill's hair and earring. It was a bit odd, but at the same time, edgy and cool on Bill.

Aisling turned back to talk to the twins when Mr. Weasley suddenly appeared out of thin air with a loud crack. His face was red and all of his anger was directed at the three of them.

"That wasn't _funny_, Fred!" He shouted, causing Aisling to flinch lightly and move slightly behind the twins. She hated the yelling part after one of their pranks, but it came with the territory. Someone would always take a joke badly and end up angry. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"

"I didn't give him anything." Fred defended himself. It was a weak attempt, but hey. Desperate times and what not. "I just dropped it... It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to."

"You dropped it on _purpose_!" Mr. Weasley pointed out with another loud outburst. Given, his point was correct. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet-"

"How big did his tongue get?" George interjected, looking eagerly at his father. Aisling peeked out from behind the two at this, she was interested in this part of the conversation.

"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" The house erupted with laughter at this. She could just picture it. A boy that big with a tongue to match.

"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley roared once more, trying in vain to convince the family that this was a misdeed. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines Wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half of my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons-"

Fred cut him off there. "We didn't give it to him because he's a _Muggle_!"

"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git." Aisling added.

"Isn't he, Harry?" George turned to the younger boy for validation.

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley." Harry agreed, furthering their point.

"That's not the _point_!" Arthur fumed. "You wait until I tell your mother-"

"Tell me what?" Sounded a voice behind them.

Everyone froze in their places and Aisling closed her eyes. Maybe if she couldn't see her, she wasn't actually there. She ended up peeking through her cracked eyelids to eye Mr. Weasley, who had frozen in place along with everyone else.

Mrs. Weasley greeted Harry before rounding on her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley stood stunned for a long moment. Ash knew that he had never really planned to tell their mother about their antics. He never did, but this time he was caught in the threat.

Hermione and Ginny entered the room and Aisling gave them a hopeful look. They were just the distraction they needed. She watched as Ginny blushed when Harry grinned at her, causing her to cast the two a bemused look. _Oh, to be young and in love. _

It was a futile hope it seemed as Mrs. Weasley stared down her spouse. "Tell. Me. What?"

"It's nothing, Molly." Mr. Weasley mumbled and Aisling knew that they had lost. Fred, George, and Aisling...but it's sorted- I've had a word with them."

"What have they done this time?" Mrs. Weasley prodded. "It better not have to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes- If you boys dragged Aisling into this. Her uncle will be so cross with our family-"

Aisling resisted the urge to roll her eyes at this. Her Uncle Mars and Aunt Fiona were her sole caregivers, just as Aunt Jupiter and Uncle Mamba were Asafia's. When the twins' parents were killed in the First Wizarding War, they had been entrusted to the couples separately. It was an odd arrangement, but with her family it made sense. It was all about the training. Her Uncle Mars would not be cross at all when told about their antics. He loved Fred and George and thinks their inventions are the most wondrous things, Fiona may disagree, but when it came down to it she just liked to see Aisling happy.

Aisling watched as the others made excuses to go off to their rooms.

"We'll come too!" George exclaimed, just to be shut down by his mother.

"You three stay where you are!" Mrs. Weasley growled.

The trio watched everyone else leave with longing in their eyes before turning back to face the enraged woman.

"You three, kitchen. Now. Every pot and pan, plate and spoon, better be scrubbed spotless in time for dinner!" She instructed them then glared at Aisling specifically.

"And NO MAGIC."

All three held in groans of disappointment and headed into the kitchen to get started.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later the dishes were washed and stacked along the counters. Mrs. Weasley walked in, looked at the piles and gave the three of them a small smile.<p>

"Good work. Now, be dears and go help Charlie and Bill outside. It's just too crowded to eat in here." She bustled off to the stove and the trio took their leave as quickly as possible. They didn't want her to think up more punishment.

They walked outside to find Bill and Charlie levitating the tables high up in the air. Ginny was already watching with amusement as they caused them to crash into one another in a sort of battle. Immediately, Fred and George began cheering them on and betting with one another who would when.

"Three sickles on Bill." Aisling said loudly enough so that Charlie could hear. The older boy turned to send her a glare which left Bill the opportunity to ram his table particularly hard.

Charlie returned his attention back to the fight, all the while cursing Aisling which caused her to laugh.

Soon, Harry and Ron joined the fun. Bill's table caught Charlie's at a certain angle and collide with a loud bang, knocking one of the legs from Charlie's table.

"Will you keep it down?" A voice screeched and Aisling looked up to see Percy's head poking out from his bedroom window.

"Will you?" Aisling retorted. "I swear that was at a decibel only dogs could hear."

The rest of the group laughed then Bill called up to him, "Sorry, Perce. How are the cauldron bottoms going?"

"Very badly." Percy snapped in return and slammed his window shut.

With that interesting display over with, Charlie and Bill returned their tables to their homes with Charlie fixing the leg of his with a flick of his wand.

"You two owe me 5 sickles." Aisling said with a grin, turning to face the twins. They both grinned and put an arm over her shoulder, each kissing a side of her temple.

"Take that as an IOU." They said in unison and Aisling glared.

"Don't think this makes me sweet on you." She warned them as they approached the tables to sit. "I better see that money."

They all sat and helped themselves to the food that was piled onto the now groaning tables. Maybe it wasn't wise to beat them up before placing this load on them, Aisling thought to herself.

She watched everyone at the table for a moment before jumping animatedly into the conversation about the World Cup with Fred, George, and Charlie.

"Ireland for the win." Aisling stated simply, looking around at the three boys and daring one of them to argue with her. Ireland was her home country and she would defend it's team with her last breath. Their chasers were to die for, not to mention they were mainly female, and honestly their keep wasn't too shabby as well.

"Yeah, but Bulgaria has Krum." Fred pointed out, being the only one brave (read: stupid) enough to argue with her.

"Pox on Krum, one good player doesn't make the tea!" She countered and Charlie nodded along with her.

"They flattened Peru in semifinals." He added. "I wish England got through, that was embarrassing, that was."

Harry suddenly joined the conversation. "What happened?" He asked curiously.

"Went down to Transylvania. Lost 390 to 10. Shocking performance." He then went on to list the other results of previous matches, but Aisling lost interest.

She took to looking out past the tables, past their light made by lanterns in the dimming sky, and out to the fields and woods surrounding the house. She fell silent, staring off and allowing herself to slip into a state of daydreaming. She saw herself running through those fields her first summer with the Weasleys. She was but 7 and Fred and George wouldn't even talk to her, so she had taken to following Percy around. That was until he made fun of her interest in 'undignified things.' Granted, he was but 9 at the time and ate mud pies in his leisure hours, but it still made her angry. So she rigged up a doorway so he'd trip and she found a pie for him to faceplant in. Amature stuff, but hey. She was 7. Fred and George took to her after that, and they had been getting closer ever since. Her joining Gryffindor and being separated from Asafia just furthered their relationship. She needed somebody and she was the only one they would let in to their little world.

Aisling was snapped back to the present by a hand giving the spot just above her knee a light squeeze. She looked over to see George looking at her curiously and smiled. "Sorry, I spaced out." She said and he returned her smiled.

"Well, glad to have you back." He replied, cupping her cheek briefly with his hand before reemerging in the conversation as Mrs. Weasley lit candles and brought out strawberry ice cream.

She saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron glancing around for a moment before leaning in close to one another. It spiked her curiosity to be honest, so of course, she listened.

"So-" She heard Ron begin in a hushed voice. "Have you heard from Sirius lately?" _Wow, that was discreet._ Aisling rolled her eyes but was eager for Harry's response so she listened closely once more, pretending to be paying close attention to Fred and George.

"Yeah," The raven-haired boy said quietly. "Twice. He sounds okay, I wrote to him yesterday. I might get his response while I'm here."

Aisling smiled at that. That was good. She had been wondering about Sirius. Her Aunt Venus had said he was doing well, but honestly, Venus wasn't the most reliable source of information. Aisling knew all about the fiasco that went down last year, it was all a part of being who she was and doing what she did. Granted, she wasn't supposed to let anyone know she knew, well at least not anyone that wasn't an adult involved or Asafia. The twins didn't even know about it.

She reverted her attention back to the conversation she was supposed to be in just before a yawn struck her. It was loud and obvious and both twins turned to look at her with amused smiles in place.

"Tired, Ash?" Fred asked fondly and she nodded.

All at once Mrs. Weasley shoo'd everyone off to bed while asking Harry and Aisling to leave their school lists out and she would pick their things up along with everyone else's.

"Oh, no. That's fine, Mrs. Weasley." Aisling dismissed her concern. "Aunt Fi has already bought all of my things. Her and Uncle Mars will be meeting us on the platform. They wanted to see me off this year, something about me being of age and them being concerned about something this year." She shrugged her shoulders and Mrs. Weasley nodded knowingly.

"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right choice about whatever it is they are talking about." She said, giving Aisling a hard look. Aisling simply nodded, not understanding but agreeing to whatever the fiery woman requested.

"Now, off to bed. You have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow!" She added and waved Aisling off into the house, watching her with a hint of concern as she went.

The mother wrung her apron in her hands and let it drop with a sigh. "She better not put her name in that cup." She muttered to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Aisling awoke to the sounds of Hermione and Ginny shuffling around the room while getting dressed and packing. She rolled over on her bed, yawning widely, and settled back down against the mattress. Never had she been so happy about being of age. She waved lazily as they exited the room and allowed her eyes to droop shut once more.

She had just begun to drift off when she heard loud footsteps on the stairs. She figured that Ginny had just forgotten something and rolled over to face away from the door. Suddenly, she was lifted out of the warmth of her blankets and into the air. She let out a loud yelp and struggled against her captor, not appreciating the cold air hitting the skin that was left bare since she was only in shorts and a t-shirt.

"What the hell?" She groaned, looking up into the face of Fred Weasley. She glanced around and spotted George next to him then narrowed her eyes, glaring at them both.

"Why did you wake me up?" She asked irritably.

"If we have to walk.." George began.

"You have to walk." Fred ended, setting Aisling down on her own two feet.

She groaned loudly once more, flopping down onto the bed in defeat. "But _I'm_ of age." She whined and heard the boys chuckle as they collected her things for her. They had spotted the outfit she had laid out for today, so they figured she wouldn't need anything else to not be packed away.

"But we're not, and we're your favorites." They replied simply.

Aisling laid there quietly for a moment before pushing herself back up and onto her feet. There was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep at this point anyways.

"Fine, but you're making me tea when we get there." She told them. "Now go and save me some breakfast while I change." She attempted to shoo them off, but Fred wasn't moving.

"Yeah, George. Go save her breakfast while I help her change." Fred suggested slyly, smiling down at Aisling. She smacked his chest, pushing down the blush that was threatening to rise to her cheeks and shoved them both out the door.

"Bugger off!" She called before slamming the door.

Once she heard them clomping down the stairs, Aisling began to get ready. She pulled on a pair of black jeans and the Ireland jersey that her Uncle had bought her when they were playing Peru in the semi-finals, pairing the outfit with her black combat boots and simply let her long hair hang loose. She added a touch of foundation and eyeliner and then she was ready. Opening the door, she listened for a moment to the voices drifting up the staircase. She smiled at the sound and swung her shoulder bag across her torso then headed down the stairs.

She entered the kitchen just as Mrs. Weasley harshly snapped out George's name, causing her to hurry over to the pair with a confused look in her eye. Did they do something and leave her out?

"What's that in your pocket?" She questioned the boy.

"Nothing."

"Don't you lie to me!" Mrs. Weasley admonished then waved her wand, proclaiming "Accio" which caused a few small, brightly colored objects to soar from his pocket. All three of them made a grab for them, but unfortunately the little buggers got away.

"We told you to destroy them!" She said furiously, holding up the small sweets. "We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, all three of you."

It was a long process. Aisling hadn't even spoken to the twins much that morning, but she had tucked a few of their products all around her body. Candy was soaring from places on them that no one would have guessed; Aisling's bra and boots, the lining of George's jacket, and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans.

"We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted as Mrs. Weasley threw the toffees away, causing Aisling to flinch at the pathetic noise they made hitting the bottom of the wastebin. All that genius tossed into the garbage. She shook her head ruefully.

"Oh a fine way to spend six months!" Mrs. Weasley threw back. "No wonder you didn't get more OWLS."

The twins glowered at their mother while Aisling shuffled uncomfortably between them. She didn't do that bad on her OWLS... She had just been distracted by everything.

She stared at the ground, getting slight flashbacks of when her Aunt and Uncle got her results. "_We know you can do better than that, Aisling. Look at Asafia's report! What happened?" "We're so disappointed."_

She looked up when she felt a hand on each of her's and discovered the twins lightly pulling her along out the door without a second glance at their mother.

"Well, have a lovely time," Mrs. Weasley called after them, "and _behave_ yourselves!"

Neither of the three turned back to respond or even give acknowledgement. The sting of her disappointment and of their anger was just too much.

The trio walked in silence, simply listening as Mr. Weasley answered the questions of the others about the World Cup and all of its workings. Soon enough, the entire group was silent except for their huffing and puffing as they climbed Stoatshead Hill. Aisling walked at a steady pace, pulling the twins along at one point to have them keep up with her. Her training prepared her for terrain like this ten-times over.

At last they were at level ground and Mr. Weasley let out a loud breath. "Whew." He said, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time- we've got ten minutes.."

They spread out across the the top of the hill, scanning the grass for any object that could be used as a portkey. Just as Aisling was going to give up she heard a shout from across the way. The group turned and spotted a man waving wildly.

"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!" He called.

They headed towards the man and soon saw that is was Amos, holding an old tattered boot and his son, Cedric Diggory. Aisling smiled brightly at Cedric, whom she knew from school, as Mr. Weasley made introductions to his father.

"Hey, Aisling. I didn't know you were going to be here." Cedric said, happily returning her smile.

"Of course I am. It is Ireland!" She pointed out, causing him to laugh.

"I should have known."

He looked over at the sound of his name from his father and immediately looked uncomfortable as Amos went on about Cedric beating Harry in Quidditch. Aisling glanced at the twins and noted their identical glares in the Hufflepuff's direction and rolled her eyes. Losses happen, it's a part of life.

The awkward tension was broke by Mr. Weasley pulling out his watch once more. "Must nearly be time now." He said, "Do you know whether we are waiting for any more, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," Said Mr. Diggory, "There aren't anymore of us in the area, are there?"

"Not that I know of." Mr. Weasley responded. "Yes, it's a minute off. We had better get ready."

They all crowded around the boot, Aisling trying to ignore the wink that Mr. Diggory sent Cedric as they were scrunched up next to one another, causing Cedric's face to turn bright red and the twins glares to harden.

"3...2...1..."

As soon as the last number came from Mr. Weasley's lips, Aisling felt the familiar pull from right behind her navel. Her feet left the ground and her shoulders bounced back and forth between Cedric's and George's but her finger was stuck steadfast to the old boot. All at once, her feet slammed the ground, but she had bent her knees just a tad to catch the impact and looked around to see that herself, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric were the only ones standing. She giggled lightly at the twins before reaching down and offering her hand.

"You two alright?" She asked, heaving them to their feet.

"Why didn't you fall?" Fred asked testily.

"I'm sure she had Cedric helping her out." George added.

Aisling looked at both of them with disbelief. "Are you serious?" She snapped, not hiding her irritation at the two. "This is the main way my family travels when it comes to groups due to all of the underage children. I was bound to pick up something the 1500 times I've done it." She turned on her heel and stomped away from the two redheads and to the front with the two adults and Cedric.


	5. Chapter 5

Cedric and Aisling chatted as they approached two unhappy looking wizards dressed in a manner that Aisling assumed was supposed to resemble Muggle attire. Mr. Diggory and Mr. Weasley headed towards the man donning a kilt and a poncho. She glanced at Cedric and caught his eye, they both pressed their lips tightly together in an attempt to hold back a laugh.

She noted the grumbling behind her as they came to a hault. "Bloody git didn't even fall." Fred mumbled to his brother.

"Morning, Basil." said Mr. Weasely, handing the old boot to the man who threw it into a box half-filled with other random objects.

"Hello there, Arthur." Basil replied, sounding simply exhausted. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some... We've been here all night...You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite."

The wizard shuffled through some papers and pulled out a map, directing the party to an area close to the woods where the stadium before turning to the Diggorys. "Most Bulgarian fans are over there." Basil added to them, pointing towards the area where large white, green, and red flag flew.

"You're supporting Bulgaria?" Aisling turned to Cedric. She was appalled. Here she was, thinking he was a decent bloke with a good head on his shoulders and now this?

"My Da is. I'm just here for the sport of it." Cedric explained himself quickly and Aisling decided to let it go. _What does it matter? Ireland was going to win anyways._

Aisling noticed Mr. Weasley setting off and bid Cedric a farewell, following the older redhead and falling in step with the twins. "Ready to stop being complete arses?" She questioned, not looking at them.

"No." Fred answered as George said, "Yes." They looked at each other for a moment, George giving Fred a prodding stare until he sighed, turning to Aisling.

"Yes." He muttered in agreement.

"Good!" She said brightly, linking her arms through theirs in immediate forgiveness. She wasn't truly angry with them but they had to learn their manners.

Finally, they reached a small cottage where surprisingly, a Muggle man answered the door. Aisling looked around as Harry assisted the fumbling Mr. Weasley until a pair of Ministry wizards appeared, directing their wands at the man and muttering, "Obliviate." The Muggle's face took on a dazed look until he came to, offering Mr. Weasley a few choice documents and sending them on their way. Aisling hated that they had to do that to Muggles, though she did understand why. She just felt that it was an unfair advantage they had over them, being able to modify their minds. It was just too intrusive for her tastes.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they were at the site and Mr. Weasley elicited the help of Harry and Hermione in putting up the tents, refusing to use magic. Aisling smiled at that, for someone possessing so many illegal Muggle artifacts, he sure was a stickler for the rules.<p>

She was just about to head over to help the group when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her up into the air. When she was finally sat down, Ash turned to see the beaming face of Seamus Finnigan just above her, smiling as he took in her outfit.

"I like your choice in apparel, Aisling." He told her with a wink.

"Oh, you better, Mr. Finnigan." Aisling replied jokingly. "Where's your mum?" She added, looking around to see if the witch had accompanied her son. "My grandmum wanted me to give this to her." She reached into her shoulder bag to pull out a small purple envelope.

Fred and George groaned irritably at this. It was a well-known fact that Aisling's grandmum and Seamus' mother had been trying to set the two of them up for ages due to their family's friendship. Aisling shot them a confused look, but returned her attention to Seamus as he answered.

"Just over there." He said, pointing over to a bright green section a little ways away from their camp. "I'll take ya' to her, if ya'd like."

"That would be great!" Aisling replied cheerfully before turning to Fred and George. "Tell your dad where I went, would you?"

She watched as the twins shared a wary glance. "I dont think you should be walking around here alone, Ashie." George said with a glance at a pair of Bulgarian supporters who were glaring down the group due to their choice in colors.

"She won't be alone, mate." Seamus retorted, cutting off Aisling's protest that she did not need anyone to play babysitter for her. She was capable, and frankly, she was of age and they were not. "She'll be with me." He draped an arm lazily over Aisling's shoulders.

"Oh yes, because a rising 4th year is so much protection." Fred scoffed, glaring at Seamus' arm as if it had personally offended him.

"Oh and the two of ye' would be?" Seamus retorted, his temper already getting ahead of him. It had been an issue of his since they were kids.

"Yes, we would." George said, stepping past Fred to get in the younger boy's face.

"All of you stop! Honestly, this is ridiculous!" Aisling snapped, finally having enough at this stupid battle of testosterone levels. "I'm the only one of age here, and I believe that I am more capable than the lot of you rolled into one! I'll be going alone!" She ended her rampage by storming off in the direction Seamus had pointed earlier.

Fred and George shared a panicked look before pushing past Seamus and hurrying after her, but the younger boy was right on their heels. They finally spotted her talking to a plump sandy-haired woman and Dean Thomas, Seamus' best friend from school. Aisling handed the letter to the woman and spoke gently in broken Gaelic, mixing in a few english words here and there.

The woman looked up at the two redheaded boys with a hard look, not recognizing them until Seamus walked up.

"Oh, Seamus. Are these friends of yers?" She asked her son in a heavy brogue, still eyeing the twins.

"No, Miss. We're friends of Aisling's. She's staying with us and we were worried when she took of by herself." George explained, stepping forward and giving Aisling a hard look which she returned with a glare.

"Oh, how sweet of ya, dearie!" Mrs. Finnigan exclaimed before she turned to Aisling. "They have a right ta worry, lovie. These times are still not safe...They just seem ta be getting more dangerous. Tha's why I sent Seamus after ya'." She admonished the girl who nodded, giving a small sigh of defeat before turning to the twins.

"I'm sorry for storming off, but honestly, you guys need to learn that I can take care of myself." Aisling told them seriously, though she walked over to them and offered a small smile.

"We're sorry too, Ash." Fred said, coming over and pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead.

"Yeah, we just don't want to see you hurt, love." George added, grasping her hand in his.

Mrs. Finnigan watched quietly at their interaction, nodding lightly but not saying a word until Aisling looked over to her.

"Well, it's obvious that yer in good hands. Now run along back to yer camp, the game will be starting soon enough!" The older witch said, sending the trio off on their way with shared farewells.

Once back at the camp, they sat down in the grass noting that no one had realized they were gone. Mr. Weasley was messing with the fire while Ginny was inside the girl's tent and the other three were no where in sight.

"Are you two placing any bets?" Aisling asked, sitting down with her head in George's lap and her feet on Fred's, who was sitting across from them.

"Of course we are." Fred replied as George nodded.

"No surprises there." Aisling teased.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment until Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared and broke it.

"You've been ages." George told them when they reached the site.

"Met a few people." Ron said, setting down a large thing of water. "You not got that fire started yet?" He asked his father.

"Dad's having fun with the matches." Fred replied.

Aisling rolled her head to the side facing Mr. Weasley and giggled lightly at the pile of splintered matches next to him. He had been having fun indeed. Hermione was kind enough to rush to the older wizard's aide, taking the matches from him and quickly showing him the proper way to do it.

Once the fire was lit and warming up, Mr. Weasley took to the task of pointing out and explaining each Ministry official that passed by to Hermione and Harry. It seemed that their campsite was right beside a sort of pathway that lead to the field and the Ministry was using it to their advantage.

At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came walking up to their camp from the woods.

"Just apparated, Dad." Percy announced importantly, causing Aisling and the twins to share eyerolls. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"

They had started on their meal for a bit when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet waving and grinning at the man striding towards them. "Aha!" He called, "The man of the moment! Ludo!"

Aisling looked over and recognized the boyish man before them. He was dressed in his old Quidditch robes, which had obviously seen better days.

"Ahoy there!" He called happily, practically bouncing over to them. "Arthur, old man. What a day, eh? What a day!"

He went on and Percy approached, his hand outstretched to meet the new coming head of department. Aisling rolled her eyes. _What a suck up._ Unfortunately, his actions reminded Mr. Weasley that he needed to make introductions. Aisling watched as the man did a bit of a double take at Harry, causing her to narrow her eyes. Finally, when her name was called out Bagman turned to face her, a smile breaking across his face.

_Damnit._ He knew how he was expected to act in these moments. Now she had to think of a reason why they knew one another. She could always blame the Banquets her family threw. She took his outstretched hand and forced herself to return his smile despite her irritation.

"Aisling! Fancy seeing you here, where's your sister, eh?" He asked, looking around the group and not spotting her.

"She's with the Malfoys, Mr. Bagman." Aisling answered, ignoring the looks of surprise coming from everyone under the age of 17 around her. They didn't understand how she knew such a high-up official.

"I'll have to tell my uncle that I saw you here. He'd love to hear from you since he couldn't make it to the match. He hasn't seen you since the last dinner." She covered smoothly, causing most of the looks to fade.

"Ah, yes!" Ludo replied, his face turning red when he realized his mistake. "Uh, tell him I will be sure to get in touch." He quickly turned from Aisling to face Mr. Weasley once more.

"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes, "I've already got Rodney Ponter betting me Bulgaria will score first- I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three on the strongest I've seen in years- and the little Agatha Timms had put up half shares in her eel farm on a week long match. Why even Aisling's Uncle Mercury placed a handsome bet on Ireland winning the match." He added, gesturing to the redheaded teen.

"Oh...go on then." said Mr. Weasley. "Let's see...a Galleon on Ireland to win?"

"A Galleon?" Ludo asked, looking a bit disappointed. "Very well, very well...any other takers?"

"They're a bit young to be gambling." Said Mr. Weasley, "Molly wouldn't like-"

"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen sickles, three knuts." Said Fred as he and George quickly pooled their money, "That Ireland wins- but Viktor Krum gets the snitch. Oh, and we'll throw in a fake wand."

"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that-" Percy started but Ludo cut him off, going on about the genius of it as Mr. Weasley warned off Fred and George.

"Boys, I don't want you betting...That's all your savings...Your mother-"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" Ludo boomed. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance...I'll give you excellent odds on that one...We'll add five galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we..."

"In that case, turn their thirty-seven galleons into forty-seven." Aisling piped up and Bagman practically bounced with glee as Fred and George rounded on her.

"Aisling, we don't need your money." Fred hissed and Aisling waved him off.

"I'm just as involved in this investment as you two are." She retorted, shutting the both of them up in a hurry.

"Cheers." said George as he took the slip of parchment that Ludo had been writing upon and tucked it into the front of his robes.


	6. Chapter 6

The evening continued on with a visit from Mr. Crouch, Percy's boss and idol, that Fred, George, and Aisling were amused to learn, had no idea what Percy's name was. The man referred to him as "Weatherby" at one point, causing the three of them to choke soundlessly on their tea much to the rest of the children's amusement.

Aisling soon lost interest in the older wizard's conversation and drifted off into her own thoughts as she watched crowds of witches and wizards pass by, keeping Harry just in view as he listened to the men with rapt attention. Soon enough, the two wizards took their leave and Fred turned eagerly to his father, pulling Aisling back into the conversation.

"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" He asked, "What were they talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Mr. Weasley assured them with a smile.

"It's classified information." Percy butted in and Aisling let out an annoyed sigh. _Does he have to have a word on everything?_ "Mr. Crouch was right not to disclose it."

"Oh shut up, Weatherby." Fred retorted, causing Aisling to smile. Upon noticing this, Fred looked over to her, meeting her eyes and giving a wide grin of his own.

As the afternoon continued, you could just about taste the excitement increasing in the air. It was a palpable feeling and Aisling wasn't left to be calm as Fred and George bounced around here and there, pulling her along with them. It wasn't that Aisling minded, she loved the twins and the hype. She was excited as could be and couldn't help singing along as the Twins burst out into Ireland's national anthem. Their loud and off-key singing brought others to join in while some looked on in either annoyance or amusement. All in all, they were having a blast.

By dusk, the crowd near their site had nearabout tripled as wizards and witches apparated in with large carts of merchandise. They called out their products loudly, prompting everyone to come and buy while they could.

"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this." Aisling heard Ron tell his friends as herself and the twins wandered off to shop.

Aisling drug the twins over to a large cart draped in green and went crazy. Soon enough, she had an Ireland scarf wrapped around her neck, a rosette pinned to both her jersey and the twins' sweaters, a small figurine of Moran, one of Ireland's female chasers, and an Irish flag draped over her shoulders.

"Got enough now?" George asked, watching in amusement as the vendor attempted to persuade her to by a set of Ireland teacups.

"I suppose." Aisling sighed, waving the man away with a thank you and following the twins back to the group. Mr. Weasley took a moment to count heads before smiling widely and announcing. "It's time!"

* * *

><p>Aisling skipped along behind Mr. Weasley as they followed a lantern-lit trail through the woods. She heard the roar of the crowd grow louder by the second as they approached and she couldn't help but gasp as the stadium came into view.<p>

"Seats a hundred thousand." Mr. Weasley informed them, spotting the looks on the group's faces. "Ministry task force of five-hundred have been working on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they'd suddenly remember urgent appointments and had to dash away...bless them."

They had reached the ticket booth by now and a small Ministry witch took their tickets proclaiming, "Prime seats! Top box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high up as you can go."

They climbed plush purple stairs for what seemed like ages until they finally reached the top box. Here about twenty seats were sat directly halfway from each side of the field. Aisling bounced up and down on the balls of her feet as she looked out over the crowd, taking in the sight of thousands upon thousands of witches and wizards cheering. She watched the giant billboards flash advertisements before being wiped clean and a new one replacing it. She looked over at Fred and George with a wide smile.

"Someday, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is going to be up there." She told them. Fred looked at her fondly for a moment as George gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"You bet your arse." Fred agreed.

They took their seats in the front row of the box. Aisling was sat just between the twins and she was happy to have it this way. They would more than keep her amused with their commentary and she could keep them in line. She had heard the Bulgarians were bringing veela. As time went on the box began to fill up and Mr. Weasley seemed to be jumping to his feet every other minute. Aisling followed his suit at one point, leaping up when she spotted her Uncle Mercury and his two sons, her cousins, enter.

"Uncle Mercury!" She called, waving until he spotted her and rushed over. He leaned over the seats and lifted her up into a hug. Her uncle was a big man, his arms toned and bulky from his endless work. He was one of the top aurors in the Ministry and therefore, had to stay fit.

"Heya, kiddo!" He greeted then sat her back down, offering his hand to Arthur and his three oldest sons. "Nice to see you, Arthur. You too, Charlie, Bill, Precy."

"Hey, Riley! Hey, Jeremiah!" Aisling greeted her cousins, giving them hugs as well. Riley was 15 and attended Hogwarts as a Gryffindor as well. Jeremiah was just 10 and he couldn't wait to be 12.

After their greetings were over, the three males went off to take their seats and Aisling settled back into her own, chatting casually with Fred and George and ignoring Cornelius Fudge's arrival. She knew that he was wiser than to greet her, especially with her uncle there to witness it. She watched the crowd until she heard a familiar drawling tone and turned in her seat to see that the Malfoys had arrived.

She spotted her twin and once again was on her feet, reaching out for her. Asafia came to her side at once, ignoring the looks that Mr. Malfoy shot her in regards to such an undignified greeting. They hugged each other tightly for a moment before stepping back to look at one another.

"Excited enough?" Asafia asked, eyeing Aisling's attire with amusement. Asafia was dressed maturely in dark black jeans, identical to Aisling's own, and a flowy emerald green top, she fit in easily with the Malfoy's lifestyle when she had to.

"Maybe." Aisling responded, giving her sister a bright smile.

They both turned in sync when they heard Lucius insult Mr. Weasley. They both let out scoffs of irritation, but when Mr. Malfoy looked over at them, Aisling met his eyes with a harsh glare while Asafia did her best to look innocent.

Soon enough, Draco had taken Asafia's hand in his own and lead her away to Mercury to say hi, and diffuse a bit of the tension between the twins and his father. Lucius followed suit not long after.

"Slimey gits." Aisling heard Ron mutter as everyone turned to look out over the field once more.

Bagman enhanced his voice with a charm and boomed out across the stadium, "Ladies and gentlemen...welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" With those words the crowd went wild, screaming and waving their flags to make each country's national anthem play along with the rest of the noise.

"Without further ado, allow me to introduce...the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!" He continued cheerfully.

To the right of the box, the stands erupted into cheers. Aisling noted that those stands were basically a wall of scarlet. She pursed her lips in disapproval but turned back to the field where a hundred veela were gliding out onto the field. She rolled her eyes before taking one of each of the twins' hands in her own.

"Don't be idiots." She said simply though she noticed that their eyes were already glued to the creatures on the field. She sighed heavily before smacking each of them on the chest to get their attention.

"Plug your ears, you gits." She ordered and they did so, though they were still captivated by the sight of the veela. _At least they won't be leaping off the stands._ She took note of Harry standing up, bracing a foot on the front edge of the box and immediately she was up, pressing him back down into his seat with a firm hand on his shoulder. She met the eyes of Cornelius Fudge and nodded, ignoring the looks that her present family were giving her as she sat back down.

She glanced over once the veela stopped dancing and noticed Hermione and Ginny giving her odd looks but she shrugged them off.

"And now," Bagman's voice roared into the arena once more, "kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascot!"

As he spoke a great green and gold shape came soaring into the stadium. It circled the space once before splitting into smaller comet-like shapes and soaring to opposite ends of the field causing a rainbow to arch between them, connecting the two masses.

Aisling was on her feet with the rest of the crowd, cheering wildly as the mascots flew.

"Leprechauns." She informed Fred and George as a firework display went off, popping and exploding madly until a great gold rain fell down in the form of gold coins.

She didn't bother grabbing at the money, most people in the box didn't though there were a few, mainly the younger generations, who did. Aisling elbowed Fred and George lightly and shook her head.

"There's no point." She told them. "It'll have disappeared by the night's end anyways."

The twins sighed as they emptied their pockets, letting the gold fall back onto the ground as Aisling giggled lightly.

The great shamrock dissolved and finally, it was time for the match to start.

* * *

><p>"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, taken aback by how quickly the match had ended. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH- BUT IRELAND WINS- good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"<p>

Aisling was in a flurry of excitement, bouncing everywhere as they rounded up the teams and brought them to the top box.

"Wait...Ireland's team is going to be in here? IN HERE?" Aisling half-screeched, gripping the twins like a mad woman. She used them to get herself to a better level to see as Fudge brought forth each of Bulgaria's team. She had to admit, even with a broken nose Krum was handsome. When he looked around she was sure to catch his eye and give him a bright smile even though she was donning Ireland colors.

She lost interest as soon as Ireland's seeker, Aiden Lynch, came in supported by Moran and Connolly.

"That's MORAN! _The_ Moran!" Aisling said, bouncing up and down.

"Yes, Ash. We know." Fred said, sounding amused.

"And oh dear, poor Lynch." She looked at the dazed seeker with pity. His eyes seemed unfocused, but he was still grinning madly. A win was a win.

Soon enough, the flurry in the box settled down as the teams exited and Fred and George immediately approached Bagman with identical grins on their faces and hands outstretched. Her uncle approached Bagman as well, right after the twins had collected their winnings and stared Ludo down as he nervously fumbled with coins under the powerful gaze of Mercury.

"I demand my payment." Aisling said and smirked at their confused expressions. "Don't think I've forgotten about our bet." She added and they both sighed, reaching into their bag and pulling out the appropriate coins to hand her. She pocketed them with a smile as the family began to file out of the box.

* * *

><p>"Ireland won! Ireland won!" Aisling sang while skipping out of the stadium and dragging the twins along with her.<p>

"Hell yeah they did, Ash!" Fred roared in excitement then picked her up by the waist and twirled her in a circle.

"Fred Fabian Weasley! Put me down this instant!" She yelped before shrieking as he spun her around a few more times for good measure.

He laughed as she glared at him before they both seemed to remember were they were. Aisling let out another yell of joy and they both ran to link their arms with George's, chanting for Ireland,

_"Stand up for the boys in green, _

_Stand up for the boys in green, _

_Stand up for the boys in green, _

_Stand up for the boys in green!"_

They laughed as they finished and Aisling spotted Seamus running towards them. She broke herself away from the twins and braced herself for the bone-crushing hug that was sure to come. But it never did. Seamus ran up, skidding to a stop just before Aisling and taking her face in his wide hands then brought her mouth to his. She was surprised, to say the least, but not displeased. She found the she rather enjoyed the feel of his warm, soft lips against hers more than she ever figured she would.

He pulled back and looked at her with wide eyes, his face turning red rather quickly, but he simply smiled and murmured, "Ireland won.."

Aisling laughed lightly at that before reaching up to place a kiss on his cheek and turning to grab the hands of two rather shocked twins and dragging them away from the stadium and back to their camp.


	7. Chapter 7

That night, Fred and George laid in bed talking quietly, while Aisling slept soundly next door in the tent she shared with Ginny and Hermione.

"Seamus just bloody kissed her!" Fred stated, still shocked by what had happened as they were leaving the stadium.

"Yeah, he did, mate." George agreed, shaking his head lightly at the memory.

He could practically feel the irritation rolling of himself and Fred in waves. Once the girls left to go to sleep, they went straight to the bed that they were made to share. They noticed the looks that their brothers and Harry shared, but no one knew what happened. They all just figured that they had an argument with Aisling.

"Yeah, well- I mean, he can't just _do_ that!" Fred answered angerily, annoyed with the whole situation. He didn't know why it was messing with him like this. He had seen Aisling get kissed before, by a bloody Slytherin no less...but this was different.

"He kind of just did..." George replied cautiously as Fred glared at him. "I'm just telling you, Fred!"

"I know, I know...It's just- her grandmum wants them together and so does he- obviously." Fred pointed out, "So what if they...went together?"

"Then they go together, Freddie." George told his twin with a sigh. He didn't like it anymore than his brother, but in these moments he could keep his head about it, while Fred seemed to have trouble doing so. "But think, mate. How many guys has Aisling dated since we've known her?"

"I don't know. A lot... Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" Fred asked sarcastically.

"Yes, now shut your gob." George deadpanned before continuing, "Now, where are all of those blokes?"

"I don't know...Gone. Dumped?" Fred replied, not getting where this was headed.

"Exactly. Now, where are we- in terms of our relationship with Ash?" George prodded his brother, basically laying stepping stones to the answer at this point.

"Well, I mean, we're her best mates. Always with her during school and for the most of summer..." He trailed off, a small smile gracing his lips. "Oh.." He added quietly.

"There we go, Forge." George said with a light laugh, leaning over to ruffle his twin's hair. Fred ducked away from his hand, threatening to push him out of the bed before rolling over.

"I need sleep." He yawned widely and George rolled his eyes.

"Good thinking, Freddie."

* * *

><p>Aisling woke to the sounds of screaming.<p>

Immediately, she was on her feet, wand drawn as she muttered a spell to cast a light around the tent. She scanned the area for intruders before rushing to pull on her jeans. She then crossed the tent to quickly wake the other two girls, taking their hands in hers before pulling them along to the entrance of the tent. She peeked through the flap and felt her body stiffen at the sight. It was only a moment's hesitation though. Soon enough, she had lead the girls to the neighboring tent and shoved them inside. She paused at the entry, staring down the line of tents at the sight of a large mob that was growing bigger by the second. A mob that currently had four figures suspended in the air above them. Her instincts told her to run to their aide, but she knew her duty. She ducked inside the tent just as Mr. Weasley began to instruct the younger of them.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" He said, gesturing towards himself and the eldest boys. "You lot- get into the woods, and _stick together._ I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out."

Mr. Weasley turned to look at Aisling, asking her with his eyes what was she going to do. She knew that the Ministry needed her as backup and she wasn't sure where Asafia was...given that she was with the Malfoys. She hoped that they didn't try to involve her in what they did. Her sister truly did like Draco.

She glanced at Fred and George who had stopped to wait for her, Ginny's hand grasped in Fred's. "C'mon." Fred said and started towards the woods with the others following along. Aisling made a sudden decision. She turned towards Harry and nodded her head at his back, causing his jacket to glow lightly for a moment then fade, she then turned to Mr. Weasley.

"Temporary tracker." She explained. "A favorite of my Aunt Venus. I'll catch up with him later, but first I need Asafia."

The remaining Weasleys nodded in understanding before rushing off to do what was needed.

Aisling stood still for a moment before turning around with a light smile. "I knew you would find me."

Lo' and behold, Asafia faded out from the darkness. "Of course." She replied, smirking.

Aisling held out her hand and Asafia immediately took it. She felt the power surge through her body as Asafia's shook with light tremors of her own. After a moment, the tremors faded but the power remained. Aisling glanced at her sister and saw the silver glow fading from her brown eyes just as she assumed it was doing from her blue ones. The sisters released their grip on one another and headed off around the main set of tents, deciding all at once to sweep the perimeter of the group and pick off any stragglers, as well as, discourage those who were wanting to join the ever growing mob.

Aisling heard the man right before she saw him and dropped low to the ground as a blast of red light shot over her head. "Not a good idea, mate." She called, sending out a spell of her own to hit him square in the chest, freezing him on the spot. Any Ministry official that came across him in the morning would know who he tried to attack.

She caught up with Asafia who had just knocked out an attacker of her own, and they both continued forth. They brought down a few more random witches and wizards on the way who decided that two young witches were easy pickings.

"Where's Harry?" Asafia asked her sister breathlessly as she kicked a guy who was approaching the mob with a smile onto the ground.

"Where's Draco?" Aisling shot back, causing her sister to laugh.

"Touché" She replied.

A sudden burst of bright green light brought the twins' attention to the sky.

_"Shit."_

_"Damn."_

They both turned on the spot and Aisling found herself in the middle of a clearing, just in front of Ron, Hermione, and Harry. She heard popping noises on all sides of them and threw herself at the trio, pushing them down under the cover of her body as the spells shot just above their heads.

"Stop!" yelled a familiar voice. "STOP! _That's my son!_"

Aisling stood, turning on the spot with her wand raised at the wizards around them. She didn't have to see the look of apprehension on the officials faces to know that her eyes were glowing silver.

"Ron- Harry- Hermione." Mr. Weasley stepped forward, being the only one brave enough to do so. "Aisling- Are you all right?" He asked them all.

"Out of the way, Arthur." A cold voice said and Aisling whirled to face the newcomer, her wand pointed directly at him as she held her body in a defensive stance.

"Stand down, Guardian." The man, that Aisling now recognized as Barty Crouch, said calmly, but Aisling saw the caution in his eyes. No one wanted to get in between a Guardian and their charge.

Aisling held her position for just a moment longer before lowering her wand and stepping aside. Mr. Crouch stormed past her and up to the trio, his face taut with rage.

"Which one of you did it?" He snapped. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" Harry defended, motioning to the giant skull still in the air. Aisling caught a glimmer of ferocity in the younger boy's eyes and had to admit, she was proud to have the assignment she did.

"We didn't do anything!" Ron said indignantly. "What did you want to attack us for?" He asked his father with a hint of mistrust in his tone.

"Do not lie, sir!" Crouch shouted, pointing his wand directly at Ron's face. Aisling shifted a bit in her spot and the wizard lowered his wand slightly. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Barty..." Whispered a witch in a long wool dressing gown, "They couldn't have. They're just kids. They would have never been able to-"

"Where did the mark come from, you three?" Mr. Weasley questioned and shot a glance towards Aisling.

Aisling simply shrugged. "I came here as soon as I saw it, I was just moments before you lot." She said, then added in a harsher tone. "Luckily for all of you, or you would've taken their heads off without a second look."

"Over there." Hermione butted in shakily, pointing over to a place in the woods. "There was someone behind the trees...they shouted a spell- an incantation-"

"Oh, stood over there, did they?" Mr. Crouch cut the girl off, turning on Hermione now. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, Missy-"

Aisling rolled her eyes and everyone else surrounding the clearing glanced at one another before redirecting their wands to the place where Hermione had pointed.

"It's too late, they would have disapparated by now." The same witch from before piped up once more.

"I don't think so." A voice came from the crowd and Amos Diggory stepped forward, approaching all in the center of the clearing. Aisling adjusted her wand slightly in her grip, her eyes watching every little movement, taking in every small sound from the area around her. She listened as the smaller witch switched her weight from one foot to another and spotted a balding wizard from the crowd look around the space, as if bored with the whole ordeal.

"Our stunners went right through those trees..." Amos explained, heading in that direction. "There's a good chance that we got them." Aisling followed along behind Mr. Diggory, shadowing him silently as calls of, "Be careful, Amos!" sounded from the clearing behind them. They pushed away the branches and faded into the darkness.

Aisling lit her wand and they walked silently for just a moment until a body was visible on the ground.

Aisling raised her wand and approached the figure with Mr. Diggory as he yelled back, "Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious- It's...but- Blimey.." He trailed off upon recognizing the figure.

_Blimey indeed. _

Sprawled out on the ground in front of them was a small creature with large eyes and even larger ears that happened to be wearing a tea cloth. Both of them recognized this small creature, it was Winky, Mr. Crouch's personal house elf. They heard voices back from the clearing and Mr. Diggory looked at Aisling with worried eyes before heaving the elf into his arms.

"Don't worry, Mr. Diggory." Aisling comforted the man. They both knew what he was about to have to accuse someone of...and that accusation would most likely not result in a calm discussion. "I've got your back."

Amos gave her a small smile of thanks before pushing through the woods and back to the clearing. They were immediately met with gasps of disbelief.

Aisling watched Mr. Crouch carefully as he stood frozen, staring down at the elf that Amos had sat on the ground of the clearing. Rage was apparent on his face, along with disbelief and...was that a hint of fear? Aisling tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at the man just as he began to speak.

"This- cannot be- No!" He said jerkily. "Winky-"

* * *

><p>They emerged from the woods a long while later and were immediately met with crowds of anxious witches and wizards. At the sight of Mr. Weasley, a bunch of them moved quickly forward and Aisling had to suppress the urge to pull her wand on them. She was just too on edge! Unfortunately, the trio next to her were already suspicious of how Mr. Crouch and the rest of the people back in the clearing had treated her and she didn't want to give them any reason to wonder more.<p>

"Arthur- it's not- Him? Is it?"

"Of course it's not Him." Mr. Weasley stated briskly, moving the four of then along. "We don't know who it was; looks like they disapparated. Now, excuse me, please. I want to go to bed."

They pushed through the crowd and back into the campsite. It was silent now. All festivities had ended and even the Irish didn't want to attempt to lighten the deathly dark mood that had fallen.

They reached the tents and Charlie's head appeared out of one of the flaps. "Dad-" He called, "What happened? Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others-"

He trailed off when he caught sight of the four tagging along behind Arthur. "Damn, Ash. You look worse than Bill."

At those words, Aisling took a moment to assess herself. She looked down and caught sight of blood on the white tank top she had worn to bed. Her sweat pants were tore in several places and the blood, Aisling realized, was coming from a gaping gash in her side.

"Damnit, it must of been one of your lot's bloody curses." She sighed, looking at Mr. Weasley who met her eyes with a sympathetic look.

Fred and George had immediately appeared through the entrance of the tent when they heard Charlie's words. The paused when they saw the state Aisling was in, then rushed to her, each pressing a kiss to her forehead before helping her limp inside. She was sat down in a chair and soon Ginny was hovering over her, not-too-gently cleaning her side. She clenched her teeth against the pain and met Bill's eyes from across the room.

She gave him a roguish smile then looked at the twins who were hovering around her like mother hens. "Honestly, you two. I'm not dying." She told them, causing them both to flinch slightly. Aisling sighed softly and reached out, offering George, the twin closest to her, her hand. He took it, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing lightly.

"You were supposed to follow us, Ash." Fred scolded her and Aisling laughed, causing a bit of pain to shoot through her side.

"Yeah, well I had shit to do, Freddie. I'm of age and they needed all the help they could get." She replied, gesturing at the beat up boys around the table.

Fred groaned with frustration but accepted her answer, not in the mood to argue with her.

Now that everyone was gathered and taken care of Mr. Weasley began to explain what had happened, omitting the bits about Aisling's involvement, though by the looks the three eldest boys were giving her, they knew something had went down. Aisling was simply thankful that none of the three that were there had seen her eyes.

Finally, the story was told and discussed and Mr. Weasley took control of his family once more. "Alright, your mother will have heard about this and will be out of her mind with worry, so we'll get a few more hours sleep then catch a portkey out in the morning." He decided and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I think I'm just going to pass out right here, yeah?" Aisling said, leaning back against the chair and closing her eyes, sitting to keep the pressure off of her wound. She was suddenly picked up from her place by gentle hands that were being careful to avoid her injury. She opened her eyes and were met with Fred's green ones.

"If you sleep there you will just whine about it all of tomorrow." Fred said simply, looking away from Aisling, but not being able to suppress the light blush that came to his cheeks from the look she was giving him. Couldn't he just do something nice, no questions asked?

"Alright." Aisling agreed tiredly as he sat her down on a soft bed. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and cuddled against the mattress, not even considering who gave the bed up.

Fred turned to his brother and shrugged lightly. "Let's get some sleep, Georgie." He suggested. The brother's piled some pillows and blankets together and made a small pallet. They both collapsed onto it, hand in hand, and fell straight to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

A few hours later, Aisling woke to the sound of people moving around and attempted to get to her feet, but somehow ended up on the floor. She grasped her side as she fell and pulled her hands away to see that they were now colored red.

"Uh..Mr. Weasley?" She called out, returning her hands to her side.

The older man turned around and spotted Aisling on the floor and rushed over to her. He noticed the blood drenching Aisling's side and hands and shouted over his shoulder into the main area of the tent.

"Bill! Get a medi-wizard!" His eldest son turned at the sound of his father's voice and caught sight of the small witch bleeding all over the floor. He pulled his wand from his pocket and rushed outside of the tent, shooting flares from his wand into the sky, signaling that they needed medical assistance.

A moment later, a witch and wizard rushed in. They blocked Aisling from everyone's view, requesting that they wait outside while they worked and assuring them all that Aisling would be just fine. After everyone had gone, the twins being physically pulled from the tent by their brothers, the two got to work. They cut open the shirt that she was wearing to better access the wound, leaving her in only a sports bra as they worked.

Not long after, Aisling emerged from the tent along with the two medical professionals. Her side was wrapped up tightly, but she had a smile on her face.

"A scouring charm gone wrong." The wizard explained, "It had progressed through the night and was literally dissolving the flesh around the original wound. It was an odd injury, but she should be good in a couple of days."

"Thank you two- Thank you so much." Mr. Weasley said, stepping forward to shake both of their hands then letting them leave.

Everyone turned to look at Aisling, who already had a twin on either side of her, to see that she did, in fact look like she would be okay.

"Let's get going then, shall we?" She suggested.

* * *

><p>Their feet touched the familiar ground of Stoatshead Hill and the group began hiking back to their home. This time all were present for the walk, even Aisling who would hiss in pain every so often. She was now draped in Fred's flannel shirt, an attempt to keep her warm, but she still kept it unbuttoned as to not rub her wound.<p>

As they rounded the corner and the Burrow came into view, a cry came from up the lane. "Oh thank goodness, thank goodness!"

Mrs. Weasley came bolting from the front yard, where she had apparently stationed herself to keep watch, and towards the group with a copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hands.

"Arthur- I've been so worried- so worried-" She launched herself at her husband, flinging her arms around his neck and latching on tightly. She held him for a moment before spotting Aisling and the twins.

"Oh, you three-" She seized the three of them and pulled them into an embrace so quickly that Fred and George's heads banged together just above Aisling's own. She winced as her injury was stretched and pushed on until they finally broke free.

"Mum- you're strangling us!"

"I shouted at you before you left!" She continued, starting to sob. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O.W.L.S? Oh Fred... George..." Aisling backed away slowly with the twins as Mr. Weasley began to console his wife, and along with the rest of the posse, they headed into the house.

Neither Mr. Weasley nor Percy were home much in the following week. Aisling had wrote multiple letters to various members of her family, trying to get clued in on what was going on, but the only response she had gotten was from her Aunt Jupiter;

_"Aisling,_

_Don't fret too much over this just yet, young one. We're looking into the surrounding circumstances as much as possible, if anything is found you will be the first to know. You did well, Dreamer. Focus on healing for now, and we will see you at the train station. Pluto is looking forward to his final year, so you know he'll be a nuisance. Stars can't wait to join you on the train for the first time._

_Well wishes,_

_Jupiter, Mamba, and Stars"_

It wasn't much, but it was something.

* * *

><p>Aisling fell asleep easily that night, lulled by the gentle sounds of the other two's breathing as she began to doze.<p>

_It was dark, dark enough that even Aisling couldn't make out shapes barely a few feet in front of her. She moved steadily forward, touching her foot lightly to the ground to test the space before stepping. She felt her heart pound harshly in her chest and willed it to calm. She was sure that if their was something lurking out there, it could hear it. Suddenly, the sky lit up with a blast of green light and a skull appeared amongst the clouds. She felt herself freeze for a moment, but that was before she heard their cries of pain. She sprinted towards the noise, bursting into a familiar clearing to see Fred and George lying in a pool of their own blood. She rushed over to them, dropping to her knees to assess their injuries, but weary hands pushed her away._

_"You're too late, love." Fred said breathlessly and Aisling forced herself to meet his green eyes._

_"It's alright. We're alright." George attempted to comfort her upon spotting the tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks._

_"Hush, Ashie. We'll see you again."_

_"Later rather than sooner." They both fell silent, small smiles on their lips as their lifeless eyes looked at the sky. She felt something inside of her snap and she __fell on top of their bodies, sobbing._

Aisling woke with a start, gasping for air. She still felt the misery of the dream in her chest, but she couldn't remember why. The dream was fleeting and every time she thought she remembered a part of it. It was gone, but the fear was still there.

She rolled over to look at the clock hung on the wall, 3 AM. Great.

She slipped from her warm bed and padded barefoot across the creaky wooden floor to the door. Silently, she pulled the door open and crossed the hall, opening the neighboring room and slipping inside. She spotted the two beds that held the ginger twins she was looking for and tip-toed over to one. She slowly pulled up his covers and slipped beneath them, pressing into the safety of his warmth and taking her first deep breath all night.

The boy beside her began to stir, rolling over and blinking sleepy eyes. "Aisling?" He questioned in a sleep-heavy voice that made Aisling's heart skip a beat.

"Yes, George?" Aisling asked, feigning innocence.

"Not that I'm complaining...but why are you in my bed?" He asked, obviously confused.

"Oh, uh- well, I had a nightmare..." She explained, feeling more childish by the second. "I'll just go- Sorry for waking you up." She apologized, moving to get out of the bed when a pair of long arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his warm body.

"No! No- It's fine. Stay, please?" George asked, sleeping nuzzling his face into the curve of her shoulder.

Aisling couldn't help the smile that graced her lips at this. "Of course, Georgie."

She let her mind drift back into the open arms of sleep, only just feeling George's lips against her shoulder before she was out, and that's how they were found the next morning.

* * *

><p>"Bloody hell!" A voice shouted loudly causing both George and Aisling to jerk awake while Fred dozed on, oblivious to the world.<p>

"Why are you two in bed together?" The voice questioned in obvious disgust. "First, the bloody dress robes and now this."

Aisling groaned and rolled away from George, ignoring his whines of protest, to look bleary-eyed at a very confused and bright red Ronald Weasley.

Aisling opened her mouth to answer him but instead began to turn as red as the hair of the twin lying down beside of her at the sight of Mrs. Weasely entering the doorway.

"What's all the fuss ab..." Mrs. Weasley trailed off as she spotted her son in bed with his best mate. Her eyes widened and then she began to smile excitedly.

"No! _No_, mum. Ash had a nightmare and was spooked so she came to sit with me and we fell asleep. That's _all_, don't make this something it's not." George snapped at his mother, giving her a hard look that pleaded with her to let it go.

To everyone's surprise, she simply gave him a knowing smile and said, "Wake up your brother, then come downstairs for breakfast. We have to leave by ten o'clock!" She then turned and ushered Ron out of the room, his face still frozen in shock, and closed the door behind her.

"Well, that could've been nasty." Aisling said, sitting up and letting out a heavy breath.

"Mmmm." George replied sleepily and reached out to pull Aisling back to him once more.

"George," Aisling scolded, "We need to get up! We only have an hour and a half until we have to leave!" She pushed against his chest for a moment until she finally broke free of his hold and bounded across the room to leap onto the lump under the blankets of Fred's bed.

"Erggg." The lump groaned.

"Freddie!" Aisling sang happily. "It's time to wake up!" She then began to repeatedly poke the lump until George joined her, lying across the bed entirely.

"Wakey wakey, Freddie-bear!" He added to Aisling's little song.

"I hate you both." Fred's voice said from beneath the covers.

"_Ouch_, that hurt, mate." George said, playfully clutching his heart as if he was wounded.

"Good." The covers growled once more.

George sighed and looked to Aisling, who nodded then proceeded to get off the bed. They both lined up on the same side of the mattress before quickly tucking their hands under Fred's body and easily rolling him off the edge and onto the floor where he landed with a dull thud.

Twenty minutes later, the trio came bounding down the stairs. Aisling paused a moment at the hall mirror to tuck the sheer white top she was wearing more securely into her brightly-colored tribal-patterned shorts before following them into the kitchen. She was just in time to join the discussion about Mad-eye. She was worried about the older auror, to say the least, and when Mr. Weasley mentioned trying to sort it out, Aisling spoke up.

"Mercury would be more than willing to help with anything that needed to be kept on the DL also, Saturn could get you any of the paperwork you need. You just have to ask, Mr. Weasley." She told him gently and he gave her a thankful smile.

Soon, Mr. Weasley had left and all eyes were on herself and Fred, well at least the younger generation's were.

"Yes?" Aisling asked, meeting their gazes.

"Well, are you two together or not?" Ron asked impatiently causing Fred to spew milk across the table before looking at George with wide eyes. Charlie and Bill looked at them with a hint of shock on their faces as well, apparently they hadn't heard about that morning.

"No, we're not, Ronald, but _thank you_ for prying." She spat at the younger boy. His eyes grew wide with fear and he stood to hurry after Harry who was lugging his trunk out the door.

Fred shot the two of them a look that plainly said, _"What the hell is going on?"_

George and Aisling shared a glance before they met Fred's eyes, shaking their heads lightly. Fred stared at them a moment longer then resumed eating his cereal before tossing his spoon into the air with fright when Mrs. Weasley barged into the kitchen.

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!" She screeched.

The trio grabbed their trunks and Aisling's cat, Brisi, before sprinting out the door and into the cab. She noticed the annoyed look on the cab driver's face when he spotted Brisi in her arms and smiled, reaching into her shoulder bag to pull out a few pounds and hand it to him. He quickly brightened up and started the car, pulling away from the Burrow. Aisling turned around in her seat to watch the crooked house fade into the distance, her heart squeezing a bit. That was her home, even if she had another, the Burrow was always home to her heart.


End file.
